Category: News

Sri Lanka’s new finance minister quit after one day in office as President Gotabaya Rajapaksa faced more calls from lawmakers to step down for mismanaging the economy, with soaring living costs triggering street protests that spiraled into a political storm.

Ali Sabry, who was sworn in on Monday and replaced the younger Rajapaksa brother Basil, would have been part of a team to oversee the nation’s debt recast — key to obtaining support from the International Monetary Fund. No official reasons were immediately given for his resignation.

His departure is in keeping with the trend of government officials and politicians distancing themselves from the powerful Rajapaksa family in the face of growing public anger over a surge in inflation that is now Asia’s fastest.

Eleven parties within the ruling coalition said in parliament Tuesday that they would function as independent lawmakers, bringing the total to 30 members. Another 12 lawmakers from Rajapaksa’s SLPP party will also distance themselves from the government, putting a simple majority in the 225-seat legislature for the president’s coalition in doubt.

The General Committee of the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) today decided to declare an emergency health situation from tomorrow due to the prevalent severe drug shortage in the country, GMOA Secretary Dr. Shenal Fernando said.

He said the decision to announce the emergency health situation was taken to protect the lives of patients following an emergency general committee meeting held today to discuss the present situation, including the imposition of the emergency law and the severe drug shortage prevaling in the country.

During a meeting held with Production, Supply, and Regulation of Pharmaceuticals State Minister, Channa Jayasumana, the GMOA revealed that there would be a severe drug shortage in the country due to the poor management by the government and the current economic crisis, Dr. Fernando said.

“The crisis will remain until the dollar issue is resolved.” However, with the present economic crisis, the current drug shortage will move into a very serious situation in the future. The government declared the public health service an essential service on February 12 after a series of power outages and protests inconvenienced the public.

“After declaring the health services essential, the government should have ensured the supply of essential medicinal drugs in the country,” Dr. Fernando said.

Therefore, the government and the health ministry should take full responsibility for the emergency drug shortage, he said.

“The dollar crisis did not emerge suddenly. Therefore, the government and the health ministry should have applied a methodology. The government should have told the truth to the people and the health sector. The Health Minister was continually informed in this regard while requesting for discussions, but did not consider any of them. Now the health ministry says that there would be a huge issue with essential drugs. Therefore, the doctors have been told to curtail certain routine services that are essential, “Dr. Fernando said.

He said without revealing a health emergency situation to the country, we would not be able to find adequate funds to overcome this situation and to maintain the health situation in the country.

“The government should cut down on other development projects to allocate funds needed to get down essential drugs to its people,” Dr. Fernando added.

Protests have intensified against Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his Government with several protests being held in various parts of the country today.

The public has engaged in peaceful public protests in several areas demanding the President resign over the current economic crisis.

A move by the President to appoint a four-member temporary government has failed, as the public has continued to stage protests today as well to show their displeasure over the conduct of the President and his Government.

Meanwhile, the houses of several leading ministers and state ministers were also surrounded by the public during the protests that are being carried out in various parts of Sri Lanka.

The public has surrounded the houses of government ministers and has staged protests, calling for their resignations along with the President amidst the current economic crisis.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s private residence in Tangalle, the houses of ministers Keheliya Rambukwella, Gamini, Lokuge Ramesh Pathirana, Kanchana Wijesekera, Roshan Ranasinghe Nimal Lanza, and Janaka Bandara Tennakoon had been surrounded by the protesting public.

The protesters are also reported to have surrounded the office of Minister Douglas Devananda in Jaffna, while he was inside the premises.

(NewsWire)

10.45 PM : Protest in front of Sri Lanka President's office in Colombo pic.twitter.com/SYnhnkbLae

— NewsWire 🇱🇰 (@NewsWireLK) April 4, 2022

A small group of protestors have gathered outside President Gotabaya Rakapaksa’s son’s house in Los Angeles, USA, with protestors calling on him to call his father back home.

The protester said that President Gotabaya had to go down and his money had to come back. The protester said that people in Los Angeles are with Sri Lankans.

A massive protest is currently taking place oppsoite the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo.

Thousands of people have gathered near the President’s office chanting slogans and demanding his resignation.

A heavy police and military presence was seen in the President’s Office.

People were also protesting on Galle Face Green and several other places in Colombo against the President.

However, the President still maintains that he will not leave office due to public pressure.

The armed forces of Sri Lanka would always comply with the Constitution and the Army is no exception. The Army as a professional outfit is always prepared to provide security and protection to the State as necessary”, so said Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva, addressing a gathering of Defence Advisers/Attaches of Sri Lanka-based High Commissions and embassies, invited to the Office of Chief of Defence Staff today (4).

The meeting was meant to keep those foreign Defence Advisers/Attaches informed of the current situation.

Captain Ian Keith Cain, Defence Adviser (Australia), Commander, M Shafil Bari, Defence Adviser, Bangladesh, Senior Colonel Wan Dong, Military, Naval and Air Attaché (China), Lieutenant Colonel Chang Qianjin, Assistant Military Naval and Air Attache, (China), Captain Vikas Sood, Defence Adviser (India), Lieutenant Colonel Punnet Sushill, Assistant Defence Adviser, (India), Colonel Homayou Ali Yari, Military Attaché, (Iran), Captain Gaku Fukaura, Defence / Security Attaché, (Japan), Colonel Ismail Naseer, Defence Adviser, (Maldives), Colonel Muhammad Safdar Khan, Defence Adviser, (Pakistan), Colonel Aleksey A Bondarev, Military, Naval & Air Attaché, (Russia), Colonel P.J Clayton, Defence Adviser, (United Kingdom) and Lieutenant Commander Richard Lister, Naval Attaché (United States of America) were present at this meeting.

The Chief Prelates of the Asgiri, Malwathu, Amarapura, and Ramanna Maha Nikaya have called on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to immediately dissolve the Cabinet including the post of Prime Minister in accordance with powers vested with him.

The Maha Nayaka Thera directed a letter in this regard to President Rajapaksa.

The venerable said the country should be handed over to an interim government comprising representatives of all parties that represent Parliament until a government is elected through a Parliamentary Election.

The letter states that an expert advisory board must be appointed to obtain necessary advice and guidance in the interim for the purpose of administration.

The letter added that the proposal of the advisory board should be taken up for debate in Parliament and implemented void of party politics based on a national policy.

The Chief Incumbents also claimed that an independent committee must be appointed to follow up on the proposals tabled by the advisory board that should be appointed to resolve the economic crisis while such actions should be subject to judicial questioning and a formal audit and made public periodically.

The Maha Nayaka Thera are of the view that the President, as the pioneer of the government during this period, must be held accountable to act in accordance with the decisions of the board.